In a turnabout, the U.S. takes Japan off the hit list

To the Japanese, Carla Hills had been a steely antagonist making a flurry of merciless demands. But last week their image of the U.S. Trade Representative took an abrupt turn. She became an unexpected defender, thanks to her sudden determination to bring a more conciliatory tone to U.S.-Japan relations. At Hills' urging, President Bush decided last week to remove Japan from a U.S. hit list of countries cited for unfair trade practices. Said Hills, whose new attitude inflamed many hawks in Congress: "Perhaps Japan had the farthest to go, but it moved farther and faster than any of our other trading...